Drop-In Sunshine and Hoppiness

I got a chance to try Sunshine and Hoppiness about 6 weeks ago at a small brewer's festival before sampling it again while dropping in to the new brewery in Middlebury, VT. I believe this Belgian-style pale ale is one of the first if not the first beer to be released. Regardless, the staff there said it was definitely a great seller. This belgian-style ale is straightforward, palatable, and an overall great experience.

Alcohol Content:
IBU:
Malts:
Hops:

Price: $5/ "Squealer" (32oz growler) +deposit

Medium: Sampled at the brewery and in 16oz glass on day 2

Aroma: A distinguishably tart, fruity ester underlies spicy phenols, both of which are yeast derived. I don't recall the intensity of the yeast-derived character as being strong at the brewery (in the smaller sample), but the growler I brought home showed more interesting signs of a Weizen-like strain. I was getting all sorts of spicy phenols, clove, even some banana and bubblegum. A bouquet of floral hops mingle with the esters and phenols. Subtle malt sweetness of warm bread and/ or biscuits supports.
Appearance: A rocky white foam persists with effervescent carbonation after sitting in the growler for 2 days unopened. Lacing is wet. A brilliant (superb clarity) golden amber color is perceived in the pint glass while the same beer looks more yellow or pale in the smaller sample glass. My guess is this beer was filtered.
Flavor: Malts are biscuity/ bready and are cleaned up by a smooth, floral hop bitterness. I found the bitterness to be quite appropriate for the style and compatible with the yeast-derived flavors: spicy phenols, clove, and to a lesser degree banana, bubblegum. Finish is crisp, in part from the bitterness but also a moderately dry finish from fermentation. Yeast character remains a dominant role well into the aftertaste, of which I started to pick up more on the clove, banana, and hints of bubblegum. These are not typical of Belgian ales.
Mouthfeel: Despite the effervescent bubbling and great clarity, the beer did not retain its carbonation as well in the growler. The bubbles were also large and fell out of solution quickly as the beer warmed. This makes the beer seem more watery, flat, and throws off the balance of the beer by allowing more malt character (I write comparatively to the fresh sample at the brewery).
Overall Impression: The yeast character strangely resembled a German Weizen strain but Belgian-style beers are also fairly new for me. Even after just 2 days in a growler it is remarkable how a beer's character is affected, namely balance. The mouthfeel changes the most and gives insights into completely new perceptions of malts, hops, water profile, etc. This is something to be wary of when holding on to growlers after purchasing. There wasn't much of a "pop" to it when I opened, indicative of poor sealing as well.

Drop-In Heart of Lothian

During my first visit to Drop-In Brewing Company a couple of weeks ago, I was stoked to come across this beer as it follows the traditionally Scottish-brewed 90 Shilling ale. The style is not typically found commercially, with the best example I know of being Odell 90 Shilling out of Colorado. I remember the first time I ordered the 90 Shilling from Odell Brewery and still covet it to this day while in search of comparable offerings.

Alcohol Content:
IBU:
Malts:
Hops:

Price: $5/ "Squealer" (32oz growler) +deposit
Medium: Sampled at the brewery and in 16oz glass

Aroma: Very malty and sweet with warm alcohol notes playing a contributing role to the pleasant malt character. The nose suggests an overly sweet beer already, but that is to be decided by taste. Moderately-light roast and dark chocolate notes offers complexity without "muddying" the beer. In other words the aromas are still quite distinguishable despite lots of malt character. Hops are absent or in large part undetectable.
Appearance: Mocha head, of which I poured with disturbance to allow excessive foaming. I usually do this with growlers I bring home and store in the fridge before opening. Retention was minimal despite the large head pour. Color is of very dark ruby/ brown, approaching black. Has a beautiful presentation in the small sample glass from the brewery but it not nearly as clear in the pint glass.
Flavor: Chocolate, roast, deep melanoidins, and dried fruit character are all prominent, with perhaps a touch of black patent malt coming across in the finish as well. Although very malty and sweet, the finish is met with bitterness I perceive as coming from both hops and malts. Also a bit dry which aids in cleaning up sweetness that may otherwise become cloying. Molasses, caramel, and toffee can all be used to describe the malts as well (I found this in subsequent sips). Hops for light bittering only and add no particular flavors or aromas.
Mouthfeel: Very full bodied with an almost cloying sweetness but this is cleaned up by the semi-dry finish. I curiously took a hydrometer reading from a sample and found the final gravity to be around 1.012, which suggests good fermentation for the style (I let it warm up and degas to take a better reading). This may have something to do with a semi-dry finish despite all the malty sweetness perceived on the front end of the palate. Alcohol lends warmth with a spice character that strangely reminds me of nutmeg and ginger. Possibly a light astringency from dark malts. Carbonation was low due to storage and leaking of CO2 in the squealer. Low creaminess lends a stout-like character.
Overall Impression: Balance was thrown off from the low carbonation. I recall the experience being better when sampled fresh from the brewery. (Looking back at my notes it was two days later that I sampled it again from the growler I brought home). This is a very bold beer in terms of malt character without too much alcohol to be considered big or un-sessionable. I am excited to try more from the brewery as it is not far from work!

Drop In Brewing Shooting Star

In becoming lackluster keeping up with the blog, I decided to stop by Drop In Brewing Company after work last week to refill a couple squeelers I previously purchased. After tasting six samples on draught I decided to go with Shooting Star, an English-style special bitter brewed as a test batch by students of the American Brewer's Guild. A simple beer, this English bitter does not leave much room for error and when done right, it can be quite satisfying and sessionable.

Alcohol Content: 3.9%
IBU: ?
Malts: 2-Row, Crystal
Hops: Liberty, Tettnang

Price: $5/ "squeeler" refill (32 oz); $7/ growler refill (64 oz)
Medium: English pint glass

Aroma: Delicate floral hop nose and toasty malt sweetness with background notes of caramel. No signs of alcohol. Slightly fruity esters, of which are appropriate. A great example of the "Burton snatch" - this beer is high in sulfur and leaves a minerally character in the water profile. I wouldn't be surprised if large amounts of calcium sulfate were added to Middlebury's relatively soft water. No diacetyl.
Appearance: Great clarity - filtered as part of the students practice using filtration equipment. Light amber to copper in color or slightly red. White-ish head and decent retention. Low caronation.
Flavor: Lends a delicate malty start with caramel sweetness and lightly toasted bread. Hops balanced nicely with the delicate maltyness, lending a floral and spicy character. Hops also linger on the side of freshly cut grass. Hop bitterness is moderately strong but remains in check by the malts. Finish is semi-dry, whereby the mineral content becomes more noticeable and suggests high sulfates. Aftertaste is where the "Burton snatch" is perceived again by pushing the aromatics back out through the nose. Some earthy characteristics parallel the sulfur notes in the aftertaste
Mouthfeel: Medium to medium-light in body conjured by a faint carbonation. Sulfury. Bitter but also fairly balanced. No alcohols or warming effect. Low carbonation offers a wateriness to the body, providing little viscosity and allowing for an easy-drinking experience. Hoppy mouthfeel, but not like the dank resinous hops you may find in an IPA.
Overall Impression: Drinkability is critical for this style and I think Shooting Star is a good fit for this component. I thought it was reminiscent of the beers I may find in London, but then again I've never been to London. That said, it fits well with the few canned examples I've tasted that are true to the style. It's very straightforward and a great beer to learn how to brew. Can easily be enjoyed in various settings from a nice sunny day to pairing with a hearty meal on a cold winter's night.